ת.ד. 4634 ירושלים 91046 טל. 02.5630073 פקס 02.5665477 dir=LTR>

THE PUBLIC COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE IN ISRAEL dir=RTL>

style="mso-spacerun:
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POB 4634 Jerusalem 91046
Tel. 972-2- 5630073 style="mso-spacerun:
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Fax. 972-2-5665477 dir=RTL> dir=RTL>

e-mail: style="mso-spacerun: yes"> style='font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:normal'>pcati@netvision.net. dir=RTL> dir=RTL>

dir=LTR style='font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:blue'>ww.stoptorture.org.il lang=HE style='mso-ansi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'> dir=RTL>

dir=LTR> dir=RTL>

style='font-size:12.0pt'>This is a translation of a letter originally written in Hebrew

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dir=LTR>

12.3. dir=RTL>2002

To:

Elyakim Rubinstein
Attorney Eran Shendar
                        dir=LTR style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Miriam'>

The Attorney General style="mso-spacerun:
yes">
Director of Department for dir=RTL>

Ministry of Justice
the Investigation style="mso-spacerun: yes"> of Police Miscondact style="mso-spacerun: yes">

Salah-a-Din
Street 29
POB 45208

Jerusalem 91010
Jerusalem 91450

Dear Sirs,

Re: Mahmud Salah, 23 years old, from the
village of Beit Wazen in the vicinity of Nablus, shot to death by police
officers while bound

The Public Committee Against
Torture in Israel (PCATI) has received two statements from Palestinian eyewitnesses
regarding the killing of Mahmud Salah on Friday, 8.3.2002, style="mso-spacerun: yes"> by police officers or Special style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Patrol officers in Beit Hanina,
Jerusalem.

PCATI also has information
on the above event from the "Yediot Ahronot" newspaper of 11.3.02,
the "YNET" website of 11.3.02, and the "Ha'Aretz" newspaper
of 12.3.02.

According to all of the
above, a Border Police jeep appeared in Beit Hanina in the vicinity of style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 16:00. Mr. Randi Awadi and Mr. Mahmud Salah came near the jeep and
were immediately arrested. Mr. Awadi was taken to an undisclosed location at
16:15.

Mahmud Salah was immediately
handcuffed and pushed towards the vehicle of one of the eyewitnesses.
Afterwards, Mr. Salah was forcibly pushed to the ground, face down. His hands
were handcuffed behind his back the whole time.

While Mr. Salah lay on the
ground, an officer stepped on his neck and head. Another officer style="mso-spacerun: yes"> grasped his legs and another held his
legs.

Afterwards, the officers
tore his clothing, stripping him down to his shorts.

At approximately 16:30, or
sometime soon after, an officer shot around 8-9 shots towards Mahmud Salah's
head. He tried to move and rise but was left to bleed to death on the ground.

At approximately 17:15
Mahmud Salah's body stopped moving and it appears that he was dead.

Later on, at approximately
17:20, a police robot was brought to the site and removed a black belt. style="mso-spacerun: yes">

One of the above eyewitness
stated "The weird thing is that I did not see the this belt when the
police officers stripped him of his clothes before he was killed".

According to information
which appeared in the "Yediot Ahronot" and "Ha'Aretz"

newspapers, the officers
struggled with Salah in order to difuse an explosive belt he allegdly had on
him.

According to the above
information, after the police bomb disposal expert stated that he could not
control Mr. Salah and that there is a danger of immediate detonation of the
explosive device, Jerusalem District Police Commander Superintendant Miki Levy
ordered that Mr. Salah be immediately killed.

According to eyewitnesses
Salah was shot from a distance of 1.5 - 2.0 meters.

The French press agency,
AFP, reported that approximately 10-12 Palestinians watched the goings-on from
the windows of their homes and told the news agency and the Palestinian human
rights organization, LAW, that Mr. Salah was shot to death around half an hour
after he was arrested, while both his hands were bound. style="mso-spacerun: yes">

In view of the Above,
the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel demands:

1. That an urgent inquiry be
initiated into the above events.

2. That the Palestinians who
witnessed the events be summoned to the inquiry.

3. That the police officers
and Special Patrol officers involved in the killing of style="mso-spacerun: yes">

Mahmud Salah be summoned to the inquiry.

4. That Superintendant Miki
Levy, District Commander, by whose
orders the

shooting was carried out, be summoned to the
investigation.

5. That any police officers
found to be guilty of killing Mahmud Salah be brought to

justice.

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
· style='font-size:7.0pt'> The
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel understands the complicated and
sensitive security situation and is aware of the workload and pressure placed
upon police personnell and the security forces 24 hours a day.

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
· style='font-size:7.0pt'> However,
it is impossible that a man be executed while bound and under detention
for more than half an hour by the
police and after the explosive belt he allegedly had on him was neutralized.

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
· style='font-size:7.0pt'> It
appears that the police officers' light hand on the trigger brought about the
death of Mahmud Salah in violation of all legal and judicial procedures
recognized by an enlightened
law-abiding society.

· style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
· style='font-size:7.0pt'> We
must first and foremost respect the right to life of any human being, even in
times of war and security tension.

We would be grateful for your immidiate attention
to of the above complaint and expect a prompt answer.

Sincerely Yours,

style='font-size:10.0pt'>

Hannah Friedman

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yes">
PCATI

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Cc:

Minister of Internal Security Uzi Landau

Minister of Justice Meir Shitrit

Chairman of the Knesset state Comptroler’s Committee, MK
Amnon Rubinstein

Police Chief Shlomo Ahronishky

Attorney Lea Tsemel

Attorney Shlomo Lecker